Considering that it was named Kanimozhi, many were under the impression that the film would have some relation to today’s political condition in Tamil Nadu. Fortunately or unfortunately, it does not. On the contrary, it is an age old love story with an overdose of philosophical twists. Both the screenplay and the story of the Tamil flick has failed to impress. But we must say that Sripathy Rangasamy had done a good job considering that this is his debut venture. At least, he has handled the lead characters well giving them individual spaces, albeit very few, to showcase their acting skills, but the actors refuse to make use of it to deliver a very lacklustring performance.
The story centers on a middle class boy Rajesh (played by Jai), who falls in love with a girl (played by Shazahn Padamsee). The strange thing is he never makes an attempt to know the name of his love interest till the end of the film! However, this boy believes that everything in life delivers positive results and hence the girl loves him too. It is when he decides to express his love that everything in his life changes. Will it change for good or for bad is something that you will have to visit theaters to know!
Even in this extremely poor storyline, Jai puts up an average performance as Rajesh. But lead actress Shahzahn Padamsee is an utter disappointment. She manages to look good but puts on only a single expression throughout the movie. The only good part of Kanimozhi is its running time. With less than two hours of screen time, it means less torture for viewers of the Tamil flick.
“Ilaignan” springs in a surprise for the viewers as it ends up being a film that has all commercial ingredients in it. The hero is down to earth and suits the character portrayed while the heroine is a homely girl and for the front benchers there is Namitha who has put on more weight and sizzles in costumes that are meant for appropriate reasons. This movie is Kalaignar Karunanithi’s 75th film and incidentally it is also director Suresh Krissna’s 50th film.
The movie is apparently a high-budget film with a reported cost of 25 crores. The actors chosen to essay the major roles in a film of such magnitude are surprisingly new comers. Lyricist Paa Vijay plays the male lead in this film while Meera Nambeesan plays the female lead. Meera Jasmine plays a pivotal role in the film and there are host of actors like Balasingh, Manivannan, Rajkapoor, “Kavithalaya” Krishnan, Delhi Ganesh and Y G Mahendran to name a few who have performed at ease in their roles.
The movie begins in the year 1959 where Deivanayagam (Sarathbabu) a ship building company owner hands over the reins of his company to his son Rajanayagam (Suman). Rajanayagam is a kind of person who is greedy and heartless and he makes sure that the people working in his company are tortured to the maximum. Sena (Namitha) plays the wife of Rajanayagam and she too has the same mentality of Rajanayagam.
Kargi (Paa Vijay), who is the son of Arockiasamy (Nasser) and Valliammal (Kushboo) is forced to work for the same ship building company where his father worked and right from day one its a battle within himself about how to bring a bright future to the people who are stuck in the place without any other option but to succumb to the pressures of Rajanayagam. The pressure gets too much when they are asked to work for 12-16 hours per day and if anyone questions or disobeys the orders, its doomsday for them.
Ramya (Meera Nambeesan) happens to be the love interest of Kargi and things go on smoothly between them till Meera (Meera Jasmine) lands from London to spend some time with her father Deivanayagam. Ramya suspects Meera that she might also be in love with Kargi which proves to be wrong. However, Meera gives a strong supporting hand to Kargi for his cause to free the people who are in the clutches of her brother.
When Kargi slowly creates a revolution against the high handedness of the capitalist boss which keeps the people motivated and raring to go for the final kill. Sena and Rajanayagam sniff that something is wrong and they plan a master counter act to fool everyone and succeed handsomely. But in the end Kargi and his counterparts take the betrayal to the next level which stuns the boss. In the end the movie closes on a happy note as Kargi gets his dream fulfilled.
The movie comes as a surprise package from “Kalaignar” Karunanithi as the story and screenplay is fresh and intentional use of any poems or punch dialogues has been avoided. Director Suresh Krissna with the vast amount of experience he has had made sure that with a huge budget at his disposal, he makes the best use of it to provide a family entertainer.
The movie though strong in most places, looses the sting towards the end and the climax is the major spoiler as the fight between Hero and Villain drags much beyond of what is required.
The movie is said to have been taking place in the late 50’s has its flaws in terms of costumes that were selected to be used in the film. It is surprising to note that during the late 1950’s, Denim shirts and Jeans pants were famous and worn by many.
Paa Vijay is definitely not exemplary in his acting but has not done a bad job considering that this was his first film as an actor. Meera Nambeesan hasn’t much to do so is the case with Meera Jasmine. Suman emotes expressions to good effect while Namitha scores average with her acting.
Music by Vidyasagar is effective to sustain the mood of the film while the Art direction by Thotta Tharani is simply wonderful. Vadivelu as Isaac Armugam provides the comic relief to the film which goes well with the audience. The movie has a running time of 150 minutes and is more likely to have a decent run at the box-office.
Kavalan movie starring Vijay and Asin is getting positive reviews from the critics. This film has faced lot of hurdles prior to release and there were so many doubts expressed over the film’s release. Kavalan finally got released on 15th January and is getting decent feedback.
Remake of a Malyalam hit, Kavalan has everything in to woo Vijay fans. Vijay, who has been running through lean patch in his career post Pokkiri is back with a bang. Siddique, who directed Malayalam original Bodyguard, is the director of this film too. Vidyasagar’s music is passable and is in tune with the story.
Vijay is seen in a completely new avatar in Kavalan unlike his previous masala films. He did a simpleton role which is different from his regular larger than life roles. Asin too did a fine job and has made her reentry into Kollywood count. Kavalan got the positive buzz next to Aadukalam among pongal releases. The trade experts and reviews state that it will reach the hit mark comfortably. Way to go Vijay.
